Recent Development of Commercial Satellite
Communications Systems
Jinhui Huang
(&) and Jiang Cao
Academy of Military Sciences, Beijing, China
night098@sina.com
Abstract. Satellites are playing an increasingly important role in communication fields. Many commercial satellite communication systems are designed or
constructed now. This paper reviews the recent developments in commercial
satellite communications and outlines the performance characteristics of several
typical satellite systems, such as Iridium-NEXT, LeoSat, OneWeb, StarLink,
and so on. Prospects for the development of satellite communications are
expected. The world of satellite communications is hotting-up, and a wide
variety of design options will be explored. The future of high-speed “space
Internet” is increasingly bright.
Keywords: Satellite communication Á Inter-satellite links Á Satellite
miniaturization Á Iridium-NEXT Á LeoSat Á OneWeb Á StarLink Á O3b Á Kuiper
1 Introduction
In October 1945, British science-fictional writer C. Clarke published an article titled
“Extra-Terrestrial Relays—Can Rocket Stations Give Worldwide Radio Coverage?” in
the journal Wireless World. In this paper, Clarke put forward the concept of geostationary satellites and calculated the required orbital characteristics for the first time.
However, due to the poor performance of radio tubes at that time, almost no one, even
including Clarke, anticipated that the concept of satellite would change rapidly from
dream to truth in less than 20 years. The invention of transistor and the integrated
circuit sped the process of satellite research and development. In 1957, the Soviet
Union launched the world’s first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1. Eight years later, the
world’s first practical commercial communications satellite, known as Early Bird, was
launched successfully by the USA [1].
In the 1990s, commercial satellite communication experienced low tide due to the
fast development of the fiber and terrestrial cellular systems. All three of the dedicated
mobile satellite systems, Iridium, ICO, and Globalstar, failed financially and declared
bankruptcy one after another [1]. Into the twentieth century, with the advancement of
electronic information technology and the further increase in communication requirements, satellite communication has once again received widespread attention [2].
Satellite communication has many advantages, such as wide coverage, large
communication capacity, good transmission quality, convenient and rapid networking,
and easy global seamless connection [3]. Satellites have been playing an increasingly
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2020
Q. Liang et al. (Eds.): Artificial Intelligence in China, LNEE 572, pp. 531–536, 2020.
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-0187-6_63
Communications Systems
Jinhui Huang
(&) and Jiang Cao
Academy of Military Sciences, Beijing, China
night098@sina.com
Abstract. Satellites are playing an increasingly important role in communication fields. Many commercial satellite communication systems are designed or
constructed now. This paper reviews the recent developments in commercial
satellite communications and outlines the performance characteristics of several
typical satellite systems, such as Iridium-NEXT, LeoSat, OneWeb, StarLink,
and so on. Prospects for the development of satellite communications are
expected. The world of satellite communications is hotting-up, and a wide
variety of design options will be explored. The future of high-speed “space
Internet” is increasingly bright.
Keywords: Satellite communication Á Inter-satellite links Á Satellite
miniaturization Á Iridium-NEXT Á LeoSat Á OneWeb Á StarLink Á O3b Á Kuiper
1 Introduction
In October 1945, British science-fictional writer C. Clarke published an article titled
“Extra-Terrestrial Relays—Can Rocket Stations Give Worldwide Radio Coverage?” in
the journal Wireless World. In this paper, Clarke put forward the concept of geostationary satellites and calculated the required orbital characteristics for the first time.
However, due to the poor performance of radio tubes at that time, almost no one, even
including Clarke, anticipated that the concept of satellite would change rapidly from
dream to truth in less than 20 years. The invention of transistor and the integrated
circuit sped the process of satellite research and development. In 1957, the Soviet
Union launched the world’s first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1. Eight years later, the
world’s first practical commercial communications satellite, known as Early Bird, was
launched successfully by the USA [1].
In the 1990s, commercial satellite communication experienced low tide due to the
fast development of the fiber and terrestrial cellular systems. All three of the dedicated
mobile satellite systems, Iridium, ICO, and Globalstar, failed financially and declared
bankruptcy one after another [1]. Into the twentieth century, with the advancement of
electronic information technology and the further increase in communication requirements, satellite communication has once again received widespread attention [2].
Satellite communication has many advantages, such as wide coverage, large
communication capacity, good transmission quality, convenient and rapid networking,
and easy global seamless connection [3]. Satellites have been playing an increasingly
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2020
Q. Liang et al. (Eds.): Artificial Intelligence in China, LNEE 572, pp. 531–536, 2020.
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-0187-6_63